Paranormal

By Derrell F. Cleghorn

Without being aware, a normal young man is given the powerful paranormal abilities of telekinesis, shape-shifting, hypnosis and mind-meld. With these powers, he can do wondrous things; but foreign countries, government agencies and even the president find him threatening their existence. There are action, adventure, and surprises in every chapter...you'll find this book hard to put down.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664119512

Derrell F. Cleghorn

Derrell Cleghorn was raised in Houston, Texas. After high school, he attended the University of Texas, majoring in English and business. After college, Derrell spent some time in the Army Security Agency where much of his work remains classified. After a successful career in business, he returned to government service for a time and has since retired. Today, he lives in Florida with his family and dog, Sushi, and devotes his time to writing.

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PROLOGUE

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T HE SPACECRAFT HURTLED THROUGH the night sky, burning with a bright glow as the friction from the Earth’s atmosphere toasted it to a fiery orange. Soon it crashed into the ocean and sank after a few minutes. Minutes later, a second craft appeared in a bright orange glow, following the path of the earlier one. The results were the same—a crash in the sea, followed in a few minutes by a silent sinking beneath the waves. No one took particular notice on Earth. Each craft was about the size of a child’s shoe (too small to arouse interest on radar), so the events were attributed to meteorite activity.

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The passenger just lay there on the sea surface—drifting, bobbing, going where the winds and tides took it. For many months it had been this way, interrupted only when some fish mistook it for food and swallowed it. Sometimes the fish was itself swallowed by a larger fish, then a larger fish, and so on. The first time, a small grouper had spotted it on the surface of the water and leaped out, gobbling it as it sounded to the deeper depths. Then a few days later, a larger grouper had feasted on the smaller fish. Some days went by. Then a large, hungry tiger shark tore the grouper in half with one bite. It was in the belly of the grouper one minute then in the belly of the shark the next.

The passenger had endured this passively for a long time, studying each predator thoroughly, until finally concluding their level of evolution was too simple and barbaric to be of further use or interest. So it willed itself out of the fish and back into the floating routine. And so the days passed by, then the months.

Now, a new threat emerged—birds. Seagulls, precisely. It was nearing land, and hungry birds had spied it floating in the surf. They began to attack. First one, then another dove at the creature. They attempted to spear it and carry it to a secluded spot for an uninterrupted meal. But their beaks and talons simply went through the body without attaching, making their attempts fruitless.

It was a creature that resembled a slug, one you might find in your yard, crawling on the sidewalk, leaving a wet trail as it inched along. The size was the same as a normal adult’s thumb. The color was translucent, difficult to spot, especially in the water. There were no apparent appendages such as arms, legs, nose, ears, and the like. For it could not hear, smell, nor see as we know it. Nor could it walk, run, grasp, or throw. Nor did it have any apparent sex organs with which to propagate its species.

But it could sense everything around it, including the predators that had ingested it. It had quickly studied their organs, cells, and DNA. When it tired of them, it simply willed itself out of their bodies by a process we call telekinesis. It had many other special abilities, which we will see as our story unfolds.

Its name was Ur.

CHAPTER 1

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T HE SKY WAS BABY blue with a few wispy clouds floating way up high. Temperature was in the low nineties, hot for spring in Galveston. Spring break had brought thousands of teenage schoolkids to the beach where they enjoyed the rites of spring. Some wise parents accompanied their teenagers, for they recognized the strength of the juices flowing in them.

Galveston is an island city and county fifty miles south of Houston, Texas, and on the Gulf of Mexico. The island is approximately thirty miles long and fifteen miles wide at its widest point. The north side of the island is used as a port and anchorage for pleasure boats; the east and west sides are public beaches for the most part but become residential areas as one goes south. The public beaches are extremely popular year-round, but especially on holidays and in the summer. The sand is light brown in color and packed down firmly in most areas.

Cars and motorcycles drive continuously up and down the beach on busy days—girls looking for boys and boys looking for girls, buddies, or sometimes trouble. The water from the waves caressing the beach is brown to green in color. Blue water is found in deeper areas several miles out in the Gulf. Once a year or so, thick ropes of oil tar can be found on the beaches, spills from the hundreds of drilling rigs dotting the Gulf waters. One may rent chairs, umbrellas, Jet Skis, surfboards, and even horses by the hour. Some optimists may even be seen with rods and reels, fishing for whatever hasn’t been frightened away by the horde of humans.

One of the groups enjoying the beach was the Dennis family. Andrew Dennis was an FBI agent. Joan, his wife, was a homemaker. They had one son, Stony, who was in the last semester of eleventh grade. He was in the water, trying to make points with a couple of nubile, young girls. Stony was a handsome, well-adjusted young man and member of a family that loved one another very much. He was rangy with long muscles rather than knotted ones. His hair was cut short, more for the convenience in various sports activities than vanity. A slight process of freckles crossed his nose, and dimples formed in his cheeks. Strong white teeth and hazel eyes completed the features that high school girls found so irresistible.

Surrounding the Dennis group on the beach were dozens of students and their families. Most of the students were Stony’s classmates at Lamar High School in Houston.

Lamar was considered one of the best high schools in the state of Texas and was located in an affluent area of Houston. The school had been built years before as a result of pressure from a concentration of well-to-do residents who wished their children to be sheltered from the rowdy, poor, and below average in intelligence element of population in economically depressed areas. One result of this was waiting lists of teachers wanting to transfer to the well-behaved classes. Critics had to admit that college attendance from Lamar High School exceeded every other Houston school by wide margins. Over the years the school’s attendance boundaries had grown to include many middle-class areas. One of these now included the Dennis family.

Stony had visited several of the homes in the rich River Oaks area surrounding the high school and had discussions with his parents about what he had noticed.

It was so odd to walk into a virtual mansion and find a living room and dining room with absolutely no furniture, Stony remarked.

Remember this as you grow older, Stony, said his mother. For some people appearance is everything. Evaluate the kids. Do they appear to be loved and secure? How do they treat others? That’s the real measure of a healthy family unit. Stony was to remember this advice for the rest of his life.

He was thinking about this as he contemplated his current girlfriend, Sharon. She lived in one of these mansions but seemed so love-starved and insecure. In fact, she was love-starved and insecure. Her father was a rich and powerful man in the oil business, and her mother devoted her time to Sharon’s younger brother. The social climbing of her parents had rubbed off on her, and she recognized Stony to be one of the most popular boys in school. To keep from losing him, she reasoned sex might have to be the spider’s web needed to trap him. Sharon was drop-dead gorgeous. Long blonde hair, deep blue eyes, pouty, full lips, and a perfect complexion made her every high school boy’s dream. But she only had eyes for Stony. Stony liked her a lot but didn’t feel that spark.

Hey, Stony, shouted his mother, don’t go too far!

Okay, Mom, Stony shouted back. Inside he jumped guiltily. Then he realized his mother meant the depth of the water, not his actions with the girls. He was trying to hide his erection.

Mrs. Dennis was an attractive woman in her late forties, pleasingly plump, with short blonde hair and blue eyes. Her figure in a swimsuit still attracted many male eyes on the beach. Perhaps that combination is why Stony was attracted to Sharon. She sat on the Gulf of Mexico beach with her husband of eighteen years, a tall, slim, balding man of fifty-two. His hair was brown and receding some. They were a handsome couple. Their seventeen-year-old son was tall and lithe with brown hair and hazel eyes. The girls in school found him very attractive because he was good-looking and popular. The boys liked him because he was an athlete and was friendly to all. The teachers liked him because he had a bright, inquisitive mind and was respectful.

Andy, are you getting burned? Do you think we should go?

I guess we should, Joan. I’ll go get Stony. Mr. Dennis was beginning to resemble a beet, so he knew that Stony, being so fair, would be burning worse. Andy waded in the water to about knee-deep, whistled, and waved for Stony to come in.

Sorry, Sharon, I have to go.

Oh, Stony! I don’t get to see you alone, ever!

Save it for next time, okay?

Oh, Stony, you know I will!

Stony waded in to where his father was waiting.

Stony, I hope you remember about what I told you about protection!

Dad, how did you know what we were doing? It was underwater!

Because I was your age once, and Sharon is a fox, that’s how, Andy responded.

Okay, Dad. Stony laughed. Funny thing . . . on the way in, something hit my leg. I looked down but didn’t see anything.

Let me see, his father said. Andy lifted the leg Stony was pointing to and examined it. I don’t see any wound.

I guess it’s my imagination then. It feels okay now.

In the car, Stony’s mind was on Sharon and the effect she had on him. In fact, Stony was not that inexperienced with the opposite sex. What had him puzzled was why Sharon would be offering him her virginity when she knew the possible consequences. She was not stupid and came from a good family. For the thousandth time, Stony wished he had someone to talk to about this.

He didn’t realize he had someone to talk to. It was an alien, and it was in his body.

Mr. Dennis and Stony loaded up the family car, a three-year-old Chevrolet station wagon, and in a few minutes, the Dennis family were on their way back to the mainland. The traffic was heavy, as expected. It was the mid-1950s, and the road to Houston was only two lanes.

Suddenly, Stony asked, How long will you be in South America, Dad? There was a hush in the front seat of the car.

Who told you, son? Andy demanded.

When are you going to South America, Andy? Joan asked. Then everyone was talking at once. Andy pulled over into a gas station to avoid a wreck.

Listen! I was just told yesterday! How did you know, Stony? And Joan, I had planned to discuss this with both of you on the drive back today!

I don’t know how I knew, Dad. I just knew, Stony replied. His parents just stared at Stony.

Well, I guess we can chalk it up to clairvoyance, Andy offered. I’m leaving the end of the month for two years.

No, that won’t do! I can’t be without you that long! Tell them no!

Honey, you know if I refuse an assignment, I can kiss my career goodbye. We’ve been lucky for the past five years. Houston has become our home, and we’ve made friends. And Stony has set a record for longevity in one school. It’s very unusual for an agent to spend this long in one location. I’ve been assured that when this is over, we can have our pick of assignments, and no more moving for at least five more years!

You mean we can stay in our house and not have to sell it when you come back? Joan asked.

Yes, honey, and I probably can retire here.

Joan was somewhat mollified, knowing that her carefully tended nest would not be uprooted.

Dad, you know I’ll take good care of Mom and everything while you’re gone. But what does the FBI do in South America? I thought it was a domestic law enforcement agency. Are you a spy now? Stony asked.

I thought you might ask that, son. And you can probably guess I can’t tell anyone what we do there. But don’t worry, there’s little danger, and no one will be shooting at me, his father responded. I can tell you that the bureau has had a presence in South America for many years. Stony would be learning a lot about South America in the coming years.

Stony kept massaging his leg unconsciously as he wondered about his bout of clairvoyance.

In about two hours, the family had reached home in the southwest area of Houston. It was a nice three-bedroom house with an attached garage. It sat on a half-acre lot with extensive landscaping in front. In the back were several pecan trees and a garden carefully tended by Mrs. Dennis. She grew tomatoes, onions, and okra and fought birds and squirrels constantly for the crops. On occasions when she won the battles, her family and friends enjoyed fresh vegetables. It was a nice, comfortable neighborhood with streetlights, social neighbors, and no cars parked in the front yards.

After Andy and Stony unloaded the car, everyone visited the showers to wash off the sand and salt that had accumulated on them at the beach. Stony looked again at his leg where he had felt something earlier. There was no evidence of injury and no feeling of pain. But it felt like something was crawling around in his body. The feeling was not unpleasant, just odd.

Later that evening, as the family sat around the dining table, Mr. Dennis asked Stony, "Son, this means I won’t be around for most of your senior year in high school, and I’ll miss it a lot. What are your plans? Next year and beyond? Do you want to go to college?

And you, Joan . . . since you’ve had time for the news to sink in, what do you plan to do without a husband to take care of?

His wife answered first. I think I may look for a job. Remember, I have a degree in business. I would be home for Stony in the evening and free on the weekends for any extracurricular activities he may have. But I don’t know how I can adjust to being without you for a whole year, Andy! Joan’s anguished cry was met with embarrassed silence for several minutes.

This fall I want to play football again, said Stony. This time I’m going to work out and get into the best condition I can! I’d like to see if I can compete at the highest level, and maybe get a college scholarship. I’d also like to play baseball in the spring for the same reasons. As far as long-term, I want to go to college but don’t know what to major in. Going to law school and following in Dad’s footsteps appeals to me. But I’m also interested in psychology . . . learning how and why people tick the way they do.

After a few minutes, Andy replied, Joan, I think it’s great you want to go back to work. I know it’s been several years, but you can get back in the grind quickly. And remember, you don’t have to work. I make a good salary. So if things don’t work out, don’t be too proud to call it quits. And Stony, sounds like you have a lot on your plate. I wouldn’t worry about career choices. It will be several years before you’re forced to decide.

Joan and Stony overlooked Andy’s stuffy-appearing demeanor because they loved him so much. Sometimes it seemed like he was delivering a lecture to a school class. Andy couldn’t help it. He was the product of a family that just didn’t express affection openly. He felt it—but had a hard time showing it. Joan and thus Stony were the opposite.

Andy had grown up in a strict farming community in the Midwest. His father was a traveling farm machine mechanic. The need for his services was constant, but the ability to pay him was not. There were good times and lean times, and throughout, Andy was raised to work hard and respect family above all else. He also was taught to pursue education as a means of self-improvement, if not financial well-being. Fortunately, Andy’s parents were able to afford to send him to college. This was before education costs skyrocketed. A good college education could be had for fifty dollars per semester.

After high school, Andy attended the University of Kansas, majoring in prelaw. He attended SMU law school then went to work with the district attorney in Dallas. In a few years, Andy decided to apply with the FBI because he thought catching criminals might be more rewarding than prosecuting them. He was accepted and sent to Quantico, Virginia, for training. It was there he met Joan, who was a senior at the University of Virginia. It was love at first sight, then marriage and Stony a few years later. The bureau had sent Andy all over the country during the almost twenty years of his career, but neither he nor Joan ever complained.

Later, Andy and Joan were doing the dishes while Stony was in his room talking to his friends on the phone. The Dennis home was a roomy bungalow-type located in an upper–middle-class neighborhood. For the most part, neighbors were professional, white-collar types with two cars in every garage. Before moving here, the Dennis family had lived in Minneapolis, Chicago, Boston, Seattle, Atlanta, and Kansas City. Now they were settled in, knew all the neighbors, and had become fixtures in the community. Stony got along well in high school and was very popular. Sharon, his current girlfriend, was also seventeen and a beautiful young woman. Stony’s parents worried constantly that unchecked passions might result in an unwanted pregnancy.

Andy and Joan talked now about Stony and their concerns.

Andy, I know you probably think that, by being away, Stony will be more likely to get in trouble with Sharon, Joan said to him. But don’t you think that if Stony doesn’t have good values now, he never will?

I’m sure you’re right, honey. And by the way, I don’t know how I can do without you for a year either. He let his hand rest on her hip. Let’s go to bed now.

CHAPTER 2

T HE NEXT DAY, AFTER donning shorts and sweatshirt, Stony went to the school gym to work out. The school left it open for students to use on holidays and weekends. There was nothing to steal, and it was separated from the rest of the school by locked doors. The school district believed that a strong body went with a strong mind, so the least it could do was make it easier for kids to work out when school was out. It was early morning, and Stony was alone. He was glad for this. He didn’t want to embarrass himself.

Stony eyed the thick rope that went to the ceiling. He estimated the rope length to be forty feet, high enough to be challenging but dangerous at the same time. He had chosen this exercise because he admired the bodies of gymnasts. They appeared to be muscular yet limber and athletic, the way he wished to be so he could play different sports. He jumped up and grabbed the rope with both hands and wrapped his lower legs around the rope to ensure no slipping. He slowly pulled himself up to the top then gradually and carefully descended. Standing on the floor mat under the rope, he marveled at the burning sensations he felt in so many muscle groups in his upper body. Four more times he made the climb, and by then his arms, shoulders, and deltoids were trembling with unfamiliar use. He was to do this every other day until late summer, but by then, he would be using his hands only, and for twenty repetitions.

For his lower body, Stony went to the nearby football stadium. He ran up one length of stairs, then down the next length, and repeated this until the end of one side of the stadium. By then, he was gasping for air and lying on the grass. He was dismayed to find this exercise had taken only twenty minutes.

I am very impressed, Muscles, came a male teen’s voice.

Oh my god, that sounds like small-dick Dave! I’ve told you and told you, Dave, you will never get in shape by watching others exercise! Stony was being quite sarcastic, for Dave Stuart, his best friend, was built like a chiseled fire hydrant. He had been working out daily with his free weights for years. Dave ran regularly around the school track to build his endurance. There didn’t seem to be a space on his body without muscles.

At six feet and 250 pounds, Dave was an all-state center on the high school football team and seemed sure to receive many college scholarships offers. Stony and Dave had been best friends since the Daniels moved to Houston. Dave’s father was a dentist, and his mother was a yoga instructor. Dave had two younger brothers who adored Stony.

For your ears only, Dave, I’m tired of being average in sports. I figure this year to be in great shape and maybe get a few all-state mentions. Stony told him about his regimen.

You may have something there, Stony. Those exercises will strengthen your hands and arms and may even increase your speed. Give it about two weeks, and you won’t be sucking air so bad. And a big plus—stay tired and you will find it easier to resist those naughty urges of yours with Sharon.

Yeah, I hope so, Dave. Isn’t it amazing that the closer we get to graduation, the more we tend to grasp responsibility?

And it could be we’re getting closer to legal responsibility age, Dave added.

It seems to me that by not satisfying such a strong urge, there could be psychological ramifications, Stony observed. And I’m anxious to get into college to begin studying things like this.

You can be my shrink when we graduate, Stony. And I’ll bring all my professional football buddies. Let’s see how you deal with animal urges and issues. Dave laughed. By the way, are you and Sharon still going to the dance Friday night? If so, I’ll pick you up first about 7:00 p.m., and Sharon a few minutes later.

Sounds good, Dave, see you then, Stony replied.

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The dance was over, and the kids were driving home from a country club in far west Houston. It had been a fun evening. A local entertainer had complemented the dance music with renditions of Whole Lot of Shakin’ Goin’ On and Good Golly Miss Molly, a few of the current era hit songs. For the most part, the dances were the frug and bop. Of course there had also been the two-step for the romantic moments. Sharon had used these dances to remind Stony of the differences in their sexes. It seemed to him that she was either pressed tightly up against him, sticking her tongue in his ear, or both. He was relieved when the dance was over. He planned to take a cold shower when he got home. His friend Dave noticed his discomfiture and laughed.

Few homes were in the area they were driving. A few years earlier, it had been